1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the authentication of a document, and more particularly, to an image processing apparatus for and a method of authenticating a document.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prevalence of computers makes forgery and manipulation of paper documents relatively easy. It is desired that paper documents handed in by citizens and customers can be authenticated at the counter of public facilities and financial institutions, for example. The following Japanese Laid-Open Applications relates to the background of the invention: No. 2002-049590 and No. 2003-198539.
When a conventional system issues a paper document, however, the conventional system does not base on a policy indicating which portion of the paper document is used to authenticate the paper document. As a result, when the paper document is handed in, it is difficult to efficiently authenticate the paper document.